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Are you a fan of super short cruises? You are about to find a great new option.
This week, Royal Caribbean announced that one of its giant Oasis-class ships will offer year-round short cruises later this year — something none of them have done since they launched 14 years ago.
The world’s largest cruise brand said the 225,282-ton Allaire of the Seas — the second ship in a series of five ships — will transition from seven-night sailings to three- and four-night full-time voyages from Oct. 30 to at least. Early in 2025.
So far, the ship and its four sister ships have spent most of their time sailing seven-night cruises.
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Royal Caribbean’s Oasis-class ships are the largest and most comfortable ships in the world, and are in high demand from cruisers. They are also among Royal Caribbean’s newest ships, along with the recently announced Quantum-class series of ships.
Traditionally, major cruise lines like Royal Caribbean have put their biggest and newest ships on seven-night sailings — a more lucrative market — and smaller and larger ships on shorter runs.
Before switching to Miami as a stopover in July 2024, the Seas Lineup will begin its endless short cruise in October, sailing from Port Canaveral, Florida.
Related: 6 types of Royal Caribbean cruise ships, explained
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The three- and four-night itineraries, which operate out of the two ports, both stop on a perfect day at Cocoa Cay, Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas. The trips also include stops in Nassau, Bahamas.
Line of the Seas is currently based in Galveston, Texas, for seven-night sailings to the Caribbean.
As mentioned above, Oasis-class ships are more luxurious than any other cruise ship, and for big-ship lovers, there really isn’t anything else.
Each of the Oasis-class ships also has three separate main pool areas, a kiddie splash zone, a surfing simulator, a miniature golf course, a basketball court and a zip line. And that’s just upstairs.
Inside the ships, you’ll find more lounges, bars, restaurants, and shops than you might imagine, plus huge casinos, spas, and Broadway-style shows. If you want to get your Michelle Kwan on, they even have indoor ice rinks.
There are giant water slides on four of the five ships. The allure of the seas, alas, is one oasis-class ship missing. Royal Caribbean announced plans to add water slides to Aller of the Seas several years ago, but the plans were put on hold after the COVID-19 pandemic forced cruise closures for more than a year.
Related: The Ultimate Guide to Royal Caribbean Cruises and Itineraries
While cruise lines often put older, smaller ships on short-haul dates, Royal Caribbean has tried to put some newer, larger ships on such itineraries in recent years, although it has failed to deploy an Oasis-class ship to the rotation.
In the year In 2019, for example, the line deployed the now-revamped and still relatively large cruiser for a short run to Miami — a significant move at the time.
Generally low-cost and easy to operate on a whim, short cruises out of Florida appeal greatly to a local market that doesn’t want anything fancy. They’re just out for a quick and inexpensive escape.
That said, short cruises out of Florida are very popular with first-time sailors from all over the country who want to try sailing without making too big of a commitment. Because they are big on short excursions, they also warm up over thousands of years.
Related: Royal Caribbean Crown & Anchor Loyalty Program: The Ultimate Guide
As Royal Caribbean President and CEO Michael Bailey told me in an interview during Sea Explorer’s deployment to Miami, the two groups are critical to impressing if you’re a cruise line looking to grow your business. You want them back. That prompted Royal Caribbean to rethink its short-term strategy.
“All of a sudden we thought to ourselves, ‘Wait a second, we’re going to put our tiny little ships on this short cruise,’ and why would we do that?” Bailey said.
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